Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has called on Gulf Arab nations to “choose a side” between Israel and Iran, arguing that the recent regional war demonstrated the strategic advantages of normalizing ties with the Israeli state.
Speaking at a conference in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, Huckabee delivered one of the clearest public messages yet from a senior American official urging Gulf governments to deepen alignment with Israel as tensions with Iran continue to reshape the Middle East.
“Choose a side. Which side are you going to choose?” Huckabee said, framing the conflict as a defining geopolitical moment for the Gulf monarchies. The ambassador argued that the recent war had forced Gulf leaders to reassess their regional security calculations after Iranian missiles and drones targeted multiple Gulf states during the confrontation.
“The Gulf states now realize they will have to choose,” Huckabee said. “Are they more likely to be attacked by Iran or by Israel? I think they can look around and say, you know, Israel helped us. Iran attacked us.”
His remarks come as Washington and Tel Aviv intensify efforts to expand the regional normalization framework established under the Abraham Accords, which previously saw the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain establish formal relations with Israel.
Huckabee sought to portray Israel as a stabilizing security partner rather than a regional threat, arguing that the war had altered long-standing perceptions across the Arab world. “The lesson learned is that Israel is not your natural enemy,” he said. “Israel is not trying to destroy you, it is not trying to take your territory, and it is not firing missiles at your civilian land. Who is doing that? Iran.”
The ambassador specifically praised the United Arab Emirates, describing it as a model for how cooperation with Israel could provide direct military and technological benefits during times of crisis. According to Huckabee, Israel provided the UAE with Iron Dome missile defense batteries and operational teams to assist in defending against incoming Iranian attacks during the war.
American broadcaster CNN previously reported, citing an informed Israeli source, that Israel had secretly deployed elements of its Iron Dome air defense system along with dozens of military personnel inside the UAE during the conflict with Iran.
Iranian missiles and drones reportedly targeted all six Gulf Cooperation Council states during the confrontation, with the UAE among the countries most affected by the attacks and regional disruptions.
Huckabee’s comments are likely to generate significant reaction across the Arab world, where public opinion remains deeply divided over normalization with Israel, particularly amid continuing regional instability and the unresolved Palestinian issue.
The remarks also underscore the growing American effort to reshape the Middle East into a broader anti-Iran security bloc linking Israel with Gulf Arab states through military coordination, intelligence sharing and economic partnerships.
While several Gulf governments have quietly expanded security cooperation with Israel in recent years, many continue attempting to balance relations with both Washington and Tehran in order to avoid direct regional escalation.
Huckabee’s blunt message, however, signals increasing pressure from Washington for regional allies to move beyond neutrality as the geopolitical confrontation with Iran deepens. However many in the Middle East believe that Ambassador Huckabee is more an Israeli representative, promoting Zionism and Israel First and before the USA. Additionally, they also believe his latest message is absurd.
